The Dartmouth track team is coming off a successful weekend at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia and the Dartmouth Invitational.
Some of the Big Green men's greatest successes in Philadelphia came in the 5,000 meters.
Sam Wilbur '94 ran a 14:13.79, an NCAA provisional qualifying time, matching his success in the winter track season. He was followed closely by Ted Fitzpatrick '95, who finished in 14:16.39, also one of the fastest times in the Heps this year.
"Several athletes had good tune up performances to ready them for the Heps this weekend," Coach Barry Harwick said. "In general, the team is peaking at exactly the right time. The Heps should be a very exciting meet for us."
Dartmouth's relay teams also turned in especially impressive times. The 4 x 400-meter relay team was led by senior anchor Geoff Zawtocki's 47.7. The team placed second in the Heps championship race with a strong time of 3:13.54, its fastest of the season.
The distance medley team, finished in a 9:53.5 after its anchor, Bill Thibault '94, ran a 4:07.8 mile.
In the field events, the Big Green's success in the relays was matched by that of their throwers. The defending Heps shot put champion Adam Nelson '97 threw 57 feet, 0 inches, enough for a fifth-place finish.
The Big Green's defending Heps discus champion Gerry LaMontagne '94 threw 173-11, earning fourth place.
Women impress at Invitational
The women's team also had several strong performances in the field events at the Dartmouth Invitational Sunday.
Julie Smith '95 threw 109-11 in the javelin to take second place. Amber Morse '97 took fourth with a throw of 91-9.
The Big Green were shut out in the high jump, but made up for it with a strong long jump contingent. Kaia Greene '97 came in second with a jump of 16-8.5, followed by Elizabeth Parento '94 with a jump of 16-5.
But Dartmouth's greatest successes on the field came in the triple jump. The Big Green dominated the event, taking three of the top six places, including a first-place jump of 35-11 by Pillar Rodriguez '97.
Although not quite as successful on the track, the Big Green did have several strong races.
Kristin Pierce '96 lost an extremely close race in the 5,000 meter, finishing third in 18:01.9, half of a second behind the second place runner.
In the 1500-meter, Jessica Neyman '96 came in third with a 4:49.9.
Rebecca Gayman '95 finished second in her heat of the 200-meter, posting the sixth-fastest time overall. Rodriguez matched her success on the field by running a 13.38 for fifth in the 100-meter, but it was Helene Sisti '96 who capped the day's successes. She won the 400-meter in 1:00.77.
Men's team dominates
The men's team enjoyed an even more successful day, often dominating its competition. No other team approached the Big Green.
On the field, Dartmouth's dominance was evident in the long jump. The Big Green swept the top four spots, led by Laurence Burks '95, who won with a 21-8. Burks matched his finish in the triple jump, winning with a 40-11.
In the hammer throw, the men again trounced their opponents, taking the top two spots. Heath Tiberio '95 won with a throw of 164-9.
In the shot put, David Erikson '96 took second place with a throw of 50-2 and Henrik Strame '94 placed fourth with a 43-1. The Big Green gave their opponents an event off, not entering anyone in the discus.
On the track, Matthew Hammill '97 set the tone for the day on winning the steeplechase in 9:59.39, more than 39 seconds faster than his nearest opponent.
In the 1,500-meter, a runner from the University of Vermont won in 3:55.2, but was followed by a stream of six Dartmouth runners, led by Christopher Langan '96 in 3:55.7.
Michael Kimmel '94 continued the dominance, winning the second heat of the 1,500 in 4:09.5. Josh Hanna '94 won the 800-meter in 1:54.9, followed by William Uppington '96 a second later.
Dartmouth's domination of the shorter events was no less complete. Thomas Vale won the 200-meter in 23.67. Teammate John Schoenhard '97 took third in 26.09. Burks continued his perfect day by winning the 100-meter with a time of 12.04. But sophomore Thomas Vale's second was more painful. He finished the 400 in 52.17 to the victor's 52.13.
"Several athletes had good tune up performances to ready them for the Heps this weekend," Coach Barry Harwick said. "In general, the team is peaking at exactly the right time. The Heps should be a very exciting meet for us."
This weekend both teams head to the Heptagonal Championships at Columbia University.
